Precedent critique - West 8 - Garden of 10,000 Bridges

Built in 2011 for the Xi’an International Horticultural Exhibition, West 8's Garden of 10,000 Bridges was a public park designed to create both a sense of enclosure and raised vantage points, playing with the sensation of surprise. 

The design concept wanted to draw on the notion of poetry and narrative, through a winding pathway that oscillates from ground level to a raised span. The park itself consisted of five semi-circular bridge structures, and visitors were encouraged to observe the park and exhibition from the multiple vantage points. 

Created in partnership with DYJG Beijing, the project features gently curving red bridges that are speckled across a wild landscape.

In the architects’ own words: ‘Gardens tell a story. they combine poetry and narrative. our garden represents the human life; the path of people’s lifetime, which is a route of uncertainty and burden, but also of highlights and elation. the garden design takes you on this walk of life as a meandering, winding trail – continuous and like a labyrinth. it lets you find your way through nature and takes you over 10,000 bridges.’

Personally, I am a fan of the piece in the temporary installation context. It is the type of landscape I would visit once for the experience but wouldn't return to because I think the impact and charm would only work for the first experience. My opinion of the project is moulded by my own experiences, I have been to Xi'an so I can imagine the climate, and I have positive connotations around bamboo. Growing up in a climate where there are natural bamboo forests, I can imagine myself in the site with the textures and noises. 

I appreciate the simplicity in the concept, it is not a complex composition, the colour pallet is limited to the red-green complementary made by the bridges and bamboo, and the planting pallet is also refined being just one species. The scale of the bamboo is what allows it to stand alone, it has a striking linear form that organically reflects the surrounding site atmospherics through movement. This movement lends the project a dynamic appeal and aids in juxtaposing the views from the ground paths and raised bridges. Those on the paths see the course texture of the bamboo stem, which acts like lines of sight leading up to the sky and bridges, while those on the elevated bridge viewpoints see the fine textures of the bamboo leaves and softer forms of the top canopy. This textural change dramatises the differing scales and proximities on the site, alternately creating depth and lengthening the chosen views. 

Overall I think the project is successful in its context, my opinion of it would differ if it was intended as a permanent public space but as an interactive art landscape, it is effective.